


LunchTime

by Fionnalina



Category: The Long Walk - Richard Bachman
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Friendship, Idiots in Love, M/M, Pete is jealous and he doesn't know how to express it, Picnics, Unorthodox sandwich sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24707080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fionnalina/pseuds/Fionnalina
Summary: Libraries are fun and accidental picnics too.
Relationships: Ray Garraty/Peter McVries/Stebbins
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	LunchTime

It was lunchtime. Garraty walked down the hall, holding his peanut butter sandwich in hand.

"Why do you look so depressed at your sandwich?" McVries asked him, walking next to him.

"Oh" Garraty realized he was staring at it, it must have looked pretty weird "Sorry. I was just thinking."

"Thinking about..." McVries made an over the top mannerism to the air "What?"

Garraty looked to the ground. He was embarrassed to tell him that.

"My sandwich only has peanut butter today. We ran out of jelly." He awkwardly put his hand on the back of his neck sighing.

McVries smiled at him, a lopsided smile "You looked so depressed."

"I'm sorry" Though Garraty wasn't quite sure what exactly he was apologizing for.

"No" McVries said "I'm relieved it's just that" Garraty nodded, they stepped into the courtyard, McVries nodded to the right side “I'm going to go buy something at the cafeteria.”

“Yeah, I wait for you” Garraty pointed at one spot in the courtyard with his thumb. McVries went to the cafeteria and Garraty walked to their spot.

Garraty sat down in the grass, almost able to tune out the noise of the rest of the students running around, and their chatter. Garraty looked at the panorama in front of him, searching for McVries somewhere on the cafeteria’s line.

“Garraty.” 

“Ah!” Garraty jumped back, a blonde guy was leaning over him, way too close to him.

“Garraty.”

“Uhm” He sat straight again, he didn't know this guy’s name, why did he know his? “Yes?”

“Sandwich” The guy offered him a sandwich, he was clutching it with both hands.

“For me?” Garraty stared at it for way too long, the guy nodded “Thank….you?” Garraty reached out for it, but the guy moved it away.

“Wait” Garraty retracted his hands “Not like this.”

“How?”

The guy clutched it harder, he looked down at it, completely ignoring Garraty, he seemed to be thinking really hard about it.

“Give me your sandwich” The guy pointed at it, his expression was entirely serious.

“What the- Why!?”

“You want it” The guy shoved the sandwich closer to Garraty’s chest.

“What do I-!?” A speck of the jelly got onto his shirt “Wait” Garraty looked up at him “You mean: the jelly.”

“Yes” He nodded emphatically.

“Why?” 

“You want it.”

“Yeah?” He taught back “How do you know that!?”

“You said it.”

“You heard me speaking?” The guy nodded “And brought me a sandwich, because of that?” He nodded again.

“Why!?”

“You have just answered that question yourself” The guy said, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

“What the-” He gave him another glance, how serious he was was the most bizarre part “God, this is so weird” He shook his head from side to side, why did he always have to rationalize with the weird people “Do you not want to give it to me anymore?”

“I do want to.”

“How do you want me to get it then?” His eyes went back into that concentrated mode “Do you not know either?” He was joking, but when he saw the guy biting his lip “You don't!? It was your idea!”

“Don't scream. You are giving me a migraine” He held up one hand to his head, he looked really troubled all of a sudden.

“You don't get to-!”

* * *

McVries finally got through the massive horde of students making line. He ordered it and waited, he walked out, holding the wrapped sandwich behind his back. He went silently to where Garraty was sitting.

“Sandwich” He saw a blonde guy leaning down in front of Garraty. 

McVries stopped in front of one of the trees, hiding himself from view, looking at them, Garraty seemed far too calm for how close the other guy was, McVries didn't know if they shared some classes, or from where they knew each other.

The guy was offering Garraty a sandwich. McVries looked at them, taking a step back.

They spoke for a little while longer, the guy helped Garraty stand up and they walked inside the building, holding hands, McVries saved the sandwich on his jacket’s pocket, and didn't follow after them.

* * *

“How long are we going to be like this?” Garraty said, the guy thought really hard about it.

“To the cooking club, Garraty.”

“Uh?”

“We need to go to the cooking club, Garraty” The guy seemed to have made his choice.

“Why?”

“They will have what we need there.”

“What do we need?”

“Proper utensils” The guy said, he stood up, creating a bigger gap between them and started to walk to the opposite side, back into the building “Hurry, Garraty.”

Garraty automatically stood up, then mentally scolded himself for it.

“What it's taking you so long?” The guy reached out for his hand, to tug him along.

“Wait!” Garraty tried to step away, but the guy was surprisingly stronger than he looked “I can't go!”

“Why not?”

“There's somebody back there waiting for me” Garraty wondered if he knew him, would he also know Pete?

“Who?” He turned back, spinning Garraty around as he did, they looked to the panorama in front of them, Garraty searched desperately for McVries black mat of hair on the cafeteria line, everywhere else, but he didn't find him anywhere, he felt the blueness hit after that, he felt it like a blanket, somehow.

“There's nobody here” He tugged again, Garraty was forced to run behind him.

* * *

Garraty held up whatever hybrid/eldritch/monstrosity/thingy they had created, using the innocent kitchen tools of the club.

“It’s fair” Stebbins said holding his own.

“Fair...”

He stared at it until the bell rang, he hadn't meant to be on the club for that long, McVries had probably been looking for him all over the courtyard, he felt really guilty, all of a sudden.

“We have to go” Garraty said, absentmindedly saving his sandwich inside his hoodie’s pocket, he saw how the guy didn't move from his place beside the window, he was ready to walk out of the room and never see him again, but he didn't, he turned back to him “Are you not going to go?”

“No” He held up the sandwich “I am going to eat.”

Garraty gave him a stiff nod “Okay” He turned back to the door, should he say ‘See you’ or something like that now, the guy didn't really seem like he would care regardless, Garraty shook the thoughts off his head, and walked to his classroom.

He was worried. He didn't share more classes except for the last one with McVries today.

* * *

Garraty arrived to the classroom in a hurry, it was finally last period, McVries was already sitting on his chair, right beside the window.

“Hey, Pete!” McVries turned to him, he felt a little off.

“I'm sorry for that, I searched for you but I couldn't find you and-”

“Mr. Garraty take a seat” He flinched at the teacher’s voice behind him, and took his seat with his head down.

“It's fine, Ray” McVries gave him one of his soft smiles, Garraty felt alright again.

He did his best to pay attention to the class until the bell signaling the ending of the last period rang. The teacher dismissed them quickly.

Garraty and McVries looked at each other, Garraty didn't know why they always did that, it was instinctual by now.

Garraty quickly put his backpack together, the rest of the students scammed out of the classroom, Garraty slowly walked up to McVries, he felt somewhat shy now.

Garraty began, McVries cut him off “You made out of me your personal chauffeur, Ray.”

“Sorry.” 

“I should be, I allowed you to” McVries said, smiling a little, Garraty didn't always manage to grasp what the joke was supposed to be “Maybe I should start charging you the gas.”

“Don't. You are already way better off than me.”

“So is this my charity work.”

“So as long as you take me home.”

“Been picking up a couple things, haven't you?” McVries said “Maybe I shouldn't take you. Teach you a lesson in humility.”

“What do you want me to say?” Garraty raised his hands in front of his chest “Please, Petie can you take me?”

“I regret ever taking you to my house” McVries sighed out “You know I always take you, let's go.”

Garraty smiled and adjusted his bag. 

They got to the parking lot, McVries's old car coming into view. Garraty reached out for the shotgun's seat handle immediately, just how many times had they done this that it had become so natural.

He opened it up. they threw their bags to the backseat and sat inside. McVries twisted the car key.

“Ray, now that we have time, and you won't be interrupted by nosy teachers” Garraty turned from the window to him “What were you doing at lunchtime?”

Garraty looked at him confused then his eyes widened, seemingly realizing what McVries meant “I am… not really sure myself” He awkwardly rubbed his arm with his right hand.

"Care to elaborate?"

“This guy, came over to me, and offered me a sandwich, he heard me complain about not having jelly, and came over? Then he got super adamant about splitting it into equal parts, and made me go to the cooking club with him to” He made quoting signs with his fingers “Split it properly” He shrugged “It was all really weird.”

“All that mess for a sandwich” McVries took a turn, the backpacks on the back seat falling on top of each other.

“What did you see?”

“That sounds really suspicious, Ray, Dear, what did you do?”

“Nothing!” Garraty was always so on edge, McVries wondered if it made him too mean of a person to enjoy teasing him so much “But if you were there, why didn't you sit down with us?”

“The scene looked too _otherworldly_ , how was I, a mere servant, supposed to intrude on that?” 

“We were discussing how to separate a sandwich. How is that _otherworldly_?”

“Really? That was all?” McVries looked at him through the front mirror “Who even was he?”

“I don't know! I didn't even ask for his name, what else would we be doing?”

“Whatever you say, Ray” McVries looked at him through the corner of his eye, he was sure Garraty would never lie to him, and he couldn't bring himself to believe that at all “What did you end up choosing on? I didn't actually stick around the whole thing. I'm not that much of your stalker, just yet, Garraty.”

Garraty looked to the side, as if he were remembering something “You don't wanna know.”

“I really need to know now.”

“Pete.” Garraty looked at him and sighed, that always got to him.

“Sorry, missus” He said it sullenly, he continued his driving talking about something else.

They approached Garraty’s street, McVries could see him tense up.

“Pete. Can you…?” 

McVries decided to save him the shame, he already knew what Garraty was going to ask him, Garraty always asked, McVries wondered if the day he didn't would ever come by.

“Yeah, Ray” McVries stopped the car way before Garraty’s house came into view, he knew why, he wasn't about to take that little calm from Garraty, he wasn't that much of a heel, not that much at least.

“Thanks” Garraty was sure this couldn't be true, but McVries looked a little sad at that. He shook his head and stepped out of the car.

He would walk all the way back home, walking down the street, this always felt like a little too much, for some reason he didn't know. Garraty felt like a boy walking underneath a crux sometimes.

He turned back and waved, McVries watch him disappear before turning back.

He had put the sandwich on his backpack.

* * *

They were walking to the courtyard again, Garraty had a lunchbox in hand, McVries had asked him about it since early morning, but Garraty hadn't told him anything.

“Am going to the cafeteria” McVries said, walking off.

“Got it” Garraty went to sit down.

McVries looked furtively at him from the waiting line, he was decided to meet this strange sandwich figure of Garraty’s now.

He waited, standing around the line, until he saw the blonde guy approaching Garraty, from the opposite direction they had come from.

He waited until he saw him kneeling in front of Garraty, to approach them.

McVries walked up behind Garraty “So, who's your little friend, Ray?” He saw him jump.

“Pete!” Garraty looked up at him.

“The one and only” McVries looked past him to the blonde “And who may this be?”

“Are you asking me, or him?” The guy said.

“Whomever answers the quickest.” 

“You will have to wait then.” 

"How much?"

"Who can say? Forever, it's sometimes just one second."

Garraty watched tensely as the two stared at each other, he definitely wasn't prepared for this. 

Garraty shily reached for the small box he had brought along “Uhm?” He raised his voice “Guys?”

McVries lowered his eyes to him “Ray?”

“Sandwiches” He opened the box, revealing perfectly packed, and pristinely cut sandwiches. The guy turned to look at them “The pure jelly ones, without crust are yours, as a thanks for yesterday” Garraty had been weirded out, for sure, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to say thanks, in a very weird way, the guy had just tried to cheer him up, and he had the whole afternoon free anyways.

“And the prosciutto ones are yours Pete” And he could also use them to apologize to McVries, three birds with one stone.

The whole world seemed to have fallen into some sort of slow-mo. The both of them stared at the box without moving an inch.

He took one of the jelly sandwiches and handed it to the blonde guy "Here." 

The guy stared at them with wide eyes, he had little stars on them, he held them tightly with both hands, his lips pursed together, he almost looked like a curious child staring at a Christmas gift.

"Pete. Yours" He handed it to him, McVries took it, his eyes half-lidded, he handled them with one hand.

Garraty was really nervous now "Eat up?"

That seemed to get McVries out of his trance "With pleasure" He took a bite out of it. Garraty turned to the other guy, he saw him hold it up to his lips and slowly take one big bite.

He waited in silence until they were finished.

"What did you guys think?" 

"As good as always, Ray" McVries said.

"Really good" The guy cleaned a stain of jelly from his cheek.

He sighed out in relief, he didn't know why he had been so on edge about that.

"Sit down, Pete" He petted the spot to his right, the guy was occupying his left. McVries looked at the guy, he seemed to be deciding, but then he smiled, his natural frolicsome smile, and sat down next to them.

Garraty got out his own sandwiches.

They ate in peace, without really talking much, McVries spoke to Garraty, and the other guy seemed too engrossed on his sandwich to care about what they said.

They remained that way until the bell rang.

"We have to go" The guy said.

"You are going to class this time?" Garraty asked him.

"Surprisingly, I too, attend my classes, from time to time, Garraty" He stood up.

"And you attend them all the time, Ray" McVries stood up, giving Ray his hand to help him get up.

Ray took it and they walked back inside the building together.

The guy looked at the both of them for a second, he seemed resolved, his hands grazing against the corridor’s walls.

He approached McVries, with his hands like a cone around his mouth, and whispered in his ear, he held on for a second then walked away.

Garraty saw him disappear down the hall, before rushing to McVries’s side.

“What did he tell you?” Garraty shook McVries’s shoulder.

“His name” He still seemed out of it, his eyes locked up in the place he had been. 

“Really? How's he called?”

“Stebbins” He had held onto the S for a little too long.

“Last name only?”

“Yeah.”

* * *

Garraty and McVries walked side by side, they saw the rest of the students run towards the cafeteria, they walked opposite to them.

"Are we going to the library, Pete?" Garraty said, he felt like he would go to the end of the world with him.

"Yes, Ray. We need to enrich our souls from time to time."

"You didn't get enough money for the cafeteria today, right?"

"No, but! We also need to enrich our souls, specifically yours, Ray."

"Why specifically mines?"

"You got a sinner’s eyes."

"You see yourself reflected on them?"

McVries smiled and booped his nose "How did you guess?"

"You look like the sort of guy who would immediately get sick, the moment he stepped into a church."

"Didn't realize you were such a religious fella, Ray."

"I'm not. You look it."

"Harsh words, My Ray" McVries hit his chest with his open palm, taking the words to heart.

Garraty shook his head "Let's get going."

They took a turn and walked down the halls until they got to the library, it reeked of abandonment, nobody ever came here unless they were forced to, the books looked like they could fall apart if you touched them with too much strength, and Garraty and McVries loved coming here.

The library felt like their very own little safe corner from the world.

They entered and pranced around. McVries seemed to be searching for a book in specific, Garraty simply walked around, staring at everything and nothing at the same time.

"Here" McVries said, holding up a book.

"Poetry?" McVries tensed up and looked around the library.

"I'm here" McVries looked at the ground, it was Stebbins sitting on the floor, three sandwiches on one side, and an opened book with pencil annotations on the other.

"Shouldn't eat on the library" McVries said, his scar shone darker on this light.

"And you shouldn't be here at lunchtime."

"Fair enough."

"Pete?" Garraty walked in.

"Hi, Ray." Stebbins waved to him.

"Oh" he looked down "Hi, Stebbins" He waved back.

"Are you going to read that?" Stebbins pointed at the book on McVries's hands.

"I was planning to, yes." Stebbins nodded.

"Are you going to read out loud again?" Garraty asked, then immediately felt guilty about saying it in front of Stebbins, he didn't know if McVries would mind Stebbins knowing about that, he should have asked first.

"You really have no filter, in about 70% of your thoughts, Ray" McVries looked at him with a small smile.

"Sorry."

He rolled his eyes "It's fine, Ray."

"Do you read out loud often?" Stebbins asked him, tilting his head to the right.

"From time to time, when I'm being a rebel and coming to the library in my free time."

"Are you going to do it now?"

"My audience is ever so demanding, but am I meant to sell myself to it?"

"I give you a sandwich if you do it" Stebbins grabbed one of the sandwiches by his side holding it up to McVries.

"I am meant to sell myself to it" McVries grabbed it and sat down, with his legs crossed, he placed the book on his lap.

"Thanks, Pete" Garraty sat down too. 

Stebbins grabbed the other sandwich and gave it to Garraty "It's fair."

He looked at it weirded out, but at the end decided to simply take it "Thank you too, Stebbins." 

Stebbins nodded and began eating his own sandwich, Garraty stared at him doing that for a whole minute, each time he saw him he looked a little more familiar.

“Do I know you?”

“Maybe from a dream.” 

Garraty looked at him closer, dismissing the anxious feeling in his stomach.

"We have Chemistry class together, don't we?"

"Took you long enough to catch up."

"Now that you have discovered where your mysterious sandwich figure comes from, can I begin?" McVries said, he had his elbow up on his knee, using his palm to rest his face.

"Oh yeah. Please Pete."

"Let's see" McVries ran his eyes through the words, and began saying them out loud, Garraty wouldn't know how to describe it, he wouldn't do it out loud anyways, but it sounded like music to him, McVries's voice was like music to him.

Stebbins had left his whole body to rest on the shelf, he felt the vibration of the school bell on his neck as it rang.

"Are you going to come tomorrow?" Garraty asked him.

"Maybe" Stebbins said, his lips chapped underneath the light shining through the old library windows.

* * *

Garraty and McVries walked to the courtyard. Garraty had the lunch box in hand, he had prepared them for the rest yet again, he didn't know if he should have made Stebbins's or not, he would come to discover that Stebbins never gave direct answers.

"Do you think he would be here today too?" McVries asked Garraty, he felt a little jumpy, but it wasn't that bad of a feeling right now.

"Why not?" Garraty said, but he looked down "Then again: why would he be here?"

"Why does anybody do anything?" McVries said, giving him his sardonic smile.

"Yeah, I guess."

They went to the usual spot, Garraty had his eyes fixed on his feet, he felt rather coy.

Garraty sat down and opened the lunchbox, he gave his share to McVries and saved Stebbins's ones to the side.

They spoke and munched on them, Garraty was thinking about the clock, he didn't want to come back to his mom with all these extra sandwiches, it was making him nervous.

He sighed, then felt two hands on his shoulders "Did you miss me?" 

He turned around in a daze "Stebbins!?"

"At least you know somebody else with that name." 

"No" He shook his head, his voice had cracked, he gulped down "No" this time more firm, he felt calmer now.

"Good." 

McVries huffed out "If you were going to come you could have straight-up said yes yesterday.

"I could have-"

McVries cut him off "But that would have been too boring" Stebbins grinned "Are you going to stand there all day, or do you actually want a sandwich?"

"You brought more?" Stebbins's hands fell off quickly from Garraty's shoulders, he kneeled down in front of the lunchbox and grabbed the jelly ones.

"Yeah" McVries gave a bite to his sandwich "You are definitely too easy at times."

"And you prefer things when they are harder, McVries" Sometimes it scared them how surely he said things like that, how sure he was of everything he shouldn't have the slightest clue about.

"Who doesn't love themselves a little challenge?"

"Mostly everybody but" He trailed the crustless edge with his finger "That would have been too boring."

"Touche" Stebbins nodded and began eating.

Garraty stared at the both of them, his hands working in semi-automatic, he was always mesmerized seeing them being themselves, he too, was too easy sometimes, he was starting to understand McVries way better than ever before right now.

"The bell, Ray" McVries swung his hand in front of Garraty's face.

"It sounded already?" Garraty hadn't heard it at all.

"It did" Stebbins said, he was looking off towards the building.

"C'mon. Let me help you up" McVries offered him a hand, Garraty grabbed it and stood up, he did the same for Stebbins.

They walked to the front of the building’s opening doors, Stebbins was already walking forwards.

“Where to?” McVries followed him with his eyes.

“To the library” Stebbins didn't turn back to look at them.

"Ditching again?" McVries said.

"More worthwhile than classes" Stebbins said "Hurry."

“I always have to hurry when you are around” Garraty spoke without catching himself, it had simply slipped past his lips, going right out of his mouth.

Stebbins turned to him “But you like being in your toes.”

Garraty thought about it “Yeah, maybe I do”

They walked towards the library, Stebbins went before them as he always did, he stole fugitive looks back at them, as his footsteps marked a hurried rhythm beneath them.

They entered the library.

They walked calmly to the spot they always did, it amazed Garraty, how sometimes you could take a few people and a place and claim them as yours, he would never manage to wrap that one around his head.

McVries and Stebbins began wandering aimlessly inside the small area.

Garraty looked for the book McVries had left off on last time, passing his fingertips carefully through the book’s sides.

He got it and pulled it out, he offered it to McVries.

“Do you want to keep reading it?” Garraty asked him.

“Do you want to hear me read it?” Garraty turned to look for Stebbins, he felt like this concerned him too, for some reason. Stebbins caught his eyes and walked back to them from the shelf he had been standing next to.

“Do you want to hear him?”

“Yes” Stebbins looked right at McVries his eyes nailed into him, they shone like a church’s stained glass “Go on.”

“Please” Said Garraty.

McVries gave a look to the both of them, he didn't seem like he was seeing them at all, he looked like he was searching for something else, somewhere else, sometime else, Garraty was sad he couldn't give that to him, he couldn't really give anything to him except for himself, he could only hope that could be enough someday.

“Please” He repeated.

McVries looked down at the poem book in between his hands.

“Don't you want to take a seat?” Stebbins placed his hand on McVries’s shoulder, barely touching it at all, McVries could feel the breeze his movements created. 

He allowed Stebbins to languidly push him down. Stebbins sat on his left, his eyes never left him. Garraty sat at his right, their shoulders touching, he could almost see him breathing.

He closed his eyes, heaved in, and recited again.

**Author's Note:**

> This started out so wholesome, but now I can only think about the TEB AU, Ghost.


End file.
